15 June 2012

I could be wrong

I don't think that I am better than people. I don't think that I know everything there is to know about everything. I don't think that I am polite all of the time. I don't follow all of the rules all the time.

Today, I went to the chiropractor. When you enter the waiting room, there are several signs about not eating inside, not using the phone inside, and to double check if your insurance has changed since your last visit.

While I sat waiting to be seen, a lady entered the waiting area.

She came in with a bag from BreadCo that looked full of goodies. She didn't pull out any food, though there was the distinct aroma of St. Louis Bread Company (Panera for those of you not in StL) food.

She did, however, pull out her cellular telephone and call someone. She talked pretty loudly for about six minutes (yes, I kept track as I played WWF and checked email on my phone in silent mode).

Of course, at first, I thought it must be a really important phone call. I thought it must be vital that she talk with the person on the other line right at that moment rather than 30-40 minutes later when she left the office. And I knew that it must be so important that she had to have all of us listen rather than stepping back outside of the building so that her call was quiet and so the she was following the rules.

I just knew it.

But, I was wrong.

She was talking with some one about where she was going to meet them tomorrow for lunch after her pilates class. She had to repeat the information about four times louder and louder each time. The fourth time, she took out the earpiece and put the actual phone to her ear.

After I left the office, I had to fill up my gas tank.

When I was pushing the buttons, I saw an SUV pull in to the lot. The windows were all down and I could see that there were three small children in the car - one in the front seat and two in the rear. The front seat housed a little girl who was about 2 years old or less.

No safety seat. And it appeared to be no seat belt.

As soon as the car stopped, the little girl got onto her knees and reached her head out of the window.

In the rear sat two girls who looked to be about 5-6 years old. The woman driver stepped out and went inside to handle her business.

I'm pretty sure that rules have not changed in the state... I'm pretty sure that you have to have kids in safety seats until they weigh 40 pounds and in a booster until they are 80 pounds. I know that as kids get toward that top end, it may be likely that parents will take them out of the seats. But, I'm pretty sure that toddlers who are two are not close to either of those weight cut offs.

Ah, what the hell. I'll say it. I'm a better parent than the mom who didn't put her child in a safe seat in the car. I'm a better grandmother than that too. I live in the gray areas most of the time (not 50 of them, mind you), but some things are black and white. Keeping a child safe makes you a better person than knowing what will keep a child safe and not doing it.

The woman on the phone is rude, but the mother could be responsible for killing her child.

ACK!! And you didn't even go into on my biggest peeves - people who leave thier kids (or pets) unattended in parked vehicles!! Yes, even for a "minute or two". Or when the weather "isn't that hot". Stopping now before I write a novel about all of the above.

You are so right about leaving the kids in the car!! I was so disturbed by the little one in the front seat with no seat or seat belt that I wasn't even realizing that they were being left in the car while she went inside the building.

Thanks for the reminder of the additional error in the woman's behavior!